Investigators narrowing in on suspect in San Pedro Elks Lodge blaze

San Pedro >> Arson investigators appear to be narrowing their search for the suspect responsible for setting a massive blaze last week that destroyed most of the San Pedro Elks Lodge.

Key pieces of evidence in the case, sources say, are surveillance tapes from the 24-hour Chevron gas station at 29421 S. Western Ave. in Rancho Palos Verdes, across from Peck Park.

Bill Michaelis, owner of the gas station, said footage shows a man buying a Bic lighter and then filling a 5-gallon can with gasoline at about 2:25 a.m. April 15, just about 15 minutes before the fire was reported at the two-story San Pedro Elks Lodge nearby.

The man’s vehicle, also caught in the station’s surveillance tape, was parked several feet away from the pumps and allegedly matches a vehicle seen in tapes at the lodge just before the fire began, Michaelis said.

“It was brought to my attention by the graveyard shift and I thought, ‘Wouldn’t that be a coincidence that this customer would be buying gas at 2:25 in the morning?’ ” Michaelis said.

But the original time line reported that the fire began at about 2:30 a.m. wouldn’t fit the scenario, he said. Later, authorities said the fire began closer to 2:38 a.m., which would have given the person enough time to drive to the lodge at 1748 Cumbre Drive, about three miles away.

“(The person) had a Jerry Can (for gas) and came in and bought a lighter and paid ‘X’ amount of dollars for gas for the can,” he said.

Another source said the same man — whose identity is known to arson investigators — played cards at the Elks Lodge. An arrest is said to be imminent but authorities so far have not released anything specific.

The possible suspect was arrested last week for an unrelated incident involving a broken window at the Via Dolce Cafe at 29050 S. Western Ave., Rancho Palos Verdes, in the Harbor Cove Shopping Center. He later was released on bail. The man also might have been responsible for earlier vandalism of the lodge’s outdoor air-conditioning unit, according to several sources who asked that their names not be used.

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At a news conference last Wednesday, Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino and fire officials confirmed the fire had been deliberately set. Buscaino, a former LAPD cop, pledged that the arsonist would be found.

“To the coward who set this fire, our message to you is that you will be hunted down and arrested,” he said. “We don’t put up with this type of behavior in our San Pedro community.”

Since then, the community has rallied to assist the lodge by finding other venues for events planned there.

The lodge’s Easter brunch Sunday brought about 300 people to the Dalmatian-American Club, which has offered its services as a new and temporary home base for the lodge.

“We just wanted to be as helpful as we could,” said former City Councilman Rudy Svorinich Jr., who is president of the Dalmatian-American Club. “The board voted to adopt the (lodge) as a sister organization. ... One of the special things about San Pedro is we’re all family and family helps each other out. ... I know they’d do the same for us in a heartbeat.”

On Monday evening, a few hundred lodge members gathered in the parking lot of the burned building for their regular 6 p.m. meeting, although nothing about the gathering was regular.

Many brought fold-up chairs while others stood as lodge officials urged patience and determination during the transition period.

Absent were the usual amenities — dinner, drinks and comfortable chairs. A damp fog rolled in over the harbor below as speakers took turns at the microphone during the hourlong meeting.

Among those addressing the crowd was U.S. Rep. Janice Hahn, D-San Pedro, who was among the first female members of the lodge after the ban on women was lifted several years ago.

“I didn’t believe it, I had to see it for myself,” Hahn said of her first view of the damage after coming back to town.

She said she “had no doubt” that the perpetrator would be apprehended and added that the new lodge would be built to outshine the old one.

“We thought it was beautiful before. I think the next one is going to be the envy of every Elks lodge in the country,” she said to cheers.

Exalted Ruler Jose Chavez said the Dalmatian-American Club will serve as the lodge’s temporary home for Sunday brunches until a new facility can be built. “This is going to be a transitional period, we’re just going to have to play it by ear,” he said.

A rebuilding fund has been set up and the lodge’s regular charity work will continue, said Elks officer John Stammreich.

“Pedrans don’t know how to be victims,” he told the crowd. “About 1,000 people are ready to strap on their tool belts and get to work.”